Walk the Manhattan Bridge

Spring is here, and that means more beautiful weekends to head out and get some exercise. One awesome way to do that is to walk across one of the bridges connecting Brooklyn and Manhattan.

The most famous, obviously, is the Brooklyn Bridge. And it’s a beautiful walk, with views of the skyline and the water while you pass under 128-year-old arches. But because of all of those things, it can be wall-to-wall tourists, especially on a pleasant weekend day.

But fear not, because you have other options. A good choice is to head over to the Manhattan Bridge. The entrance is on Jay Street near Sands. Pay attention to the signs, because foot traffic and bike traffic have separate paths.

As you walk across, you’ll get views of DUMBO and the Brooklyn Bridge (the foot path is on the south side of the bridge; the view will obviously be different if you decide to bike across as you’ll be on the north side). If you look down you can see Brooklyn Bridge Park, complete with the carousel. While you’re walking, in addition to the views, there’s plenty of graffiti to check out.

As you come closer to Manhattan, you’ll pass over Chinatown. You can see across rooftops and look down at the streets. The footpath lets you off on Bowery at Canal Street, so if you don’t feel like walking back, it’s not too far to any of the Canal Street subway stops. And of course, since you’re in Chinatown, you should probably stop and get some dumplings before heading back to Brooklyn, whether on foot or by train.